


A Game We Can Play Together

by Oddities_Collection



Category: Mythic Quest: Raven's Banquet (TV)
Genre: Chaptered, Danny Pudi - Freeform, Drinking, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff and Smut, Light BDSM, Light Bondage, Light Dom/sub, M/M, Manipulation, Multi, Office Comedy, Other, Rough Sex, Smut, gender neutral reader, ill get to the porn just give me a sec
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-02
Updated: 2020-06-09
Packaged: 2021-03-03 05:01:09
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 14,766
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24499099
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Oddities_Collection/pseuds/Oddities_Collection
Summary: This job seemed like the dream going into it, I get to use my degree in phycology, my training in therapy and work in a video game development company. I am a therapist brought on by HR when they saw the need for “extra help”, I thought it would be an easy ride, little did I know just how fucked up with office would be. Everyone here has some problem and I can pin them all down to something but not Brad, he is a mystery I intend to solve.Brad all the while is thinking similar thoughts, he has nothing on you and that has to change. so what you are all he can think about, it's just because he does not know you, right? Either way, he needs to figure you out and you him, but what does the mean when therapy appointment is turned in to a showdown, turned in to a confession.
Relationships: Brad Bakshi/Reader
Comments: 13
Kudos: 31





	1. Round 1

**Author's Note:**

> I have not written in a crazy amount of time so I hope this is some form of good. This one goes out to the Danny Pudi simps out there. this chapter is really a more relationship one but I do plan to drop more smutty stuff soon so keep an eye out.  
> Thank you for reading and enjoy <3

This job seemed like the dream going into it, I get to use my degree in phycology, my training in therapy  _ and  _ work in a video game development company. I am a therapist brought on by HR when they saw the need for “ _ extra help” _ , I thought it would be an easy ride, little did I know just how fucked up with office would be. Nothing could have prepared me for the terror that is Ian Grimm’s superiority complex and it’s effects of Poppy’s crippling self-doubt. (I have some theories on Jo but she won’t come to see me, she said it was a “ _ beta move” _ ) I mean come on, at this point with the amount of stress they are all under this whole staff team should have as much hair as CW yet he seems like the only one who is even slightly comfortable in his own skin. That is, other than Brad. He is the only one I can not seem to get a read on, I mean he is manipulative and likes to watch other people run in circles, but anyone could tell you that. There has to be a reason he is like this, with all the others I can pin it down to an event in their life they either told me or I figured it out. Ian has mommy issues, Jo has daddy issues, Poppy was bullied, and David is  _ very _ open about his abatement issues (sometimes to a concerning point, I’m worried about him), but Brad just dances around his life outside of the office. Now call me a completionist but hey, I work at a video game company, after all, I will one hundred pertinent this game. God, listen to me, I sound like brad, I can’t get him out of my head.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

One of the most important things about being a therapist is creating a safe comfortable space for people to open up in, showing personality but not disclosing your personal life. Brad knew this, it was logical but he still hates it, he needs to find something on you, anything at all. He has dirt on everyone in this office, something that he can use to make them do what he wants, but not you. Not even online, nothing! “It’s like having a filing cabinet filled with everyone’s dirtiest secrets but one file is empty, and it has their damn name on it,” he thinks aloud as he rummages through drawers in your office late at night. He collapses on to your spinny chair beneath him looking around the room slowly. He always liked the way your office looks, the windows that look out on the city streets line the whole back wall, with the other walls recently painted by the staff when you joined as a show of good faith. It’s a really light blue colour, just looking at it makes him smile a little bit. That day had been so wonderful, Brad had managed to conceive Ian and Poppy they hated each other again leading them to chase each other like a dog and cat, to the point where they ended up throwing paint at each other, then Jo joined in because it looked like a fun expectable way to hit people and soon everyone was throwing paint but Brad, who had managed to step back out of the line of fire to watch them dance. You had joined in when David hit you by accident but it was clear you were having a ridiculous amount of fun. Just when Brad thought he had gotten away with it, as usual, you looked over at him with baby blue paint on your nose and smiled in this genuine way he had never seen before, he was caught. You walked right up to him and told him you knew what he was doing, Brad thought he was about to get his ass handed to him when you suddenly pulled out a paint cover hand and splattered him. “ _ if you are going to make a game, at least play it _ ”. Your words replayed in his head as Brad softly laughed thinking how entirely covered in paint he was on the drive home that day. Suddenly he snaps back to reality, looking around your office with a sigh. He needs to get dirt on you, maybe then you’ll get out of his head. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It feels like I have been waiting forever for this, Brad made an appointment with me! He may actually want to open up, one on one, he gets to just talk. Though knowing Brad my guess is he has ulterior motives as usual, but I don’t really mind, at least I don’t have to make awkward small talk around the coffee machine. This morning while making my coffee of choice he comes in and sits himself on the counter with a smooth motion as he waits for me to finish up making the coffee. I try way too hard to make it seem like I was not looking at him, his curls look even more tempting to touch in the morning when they are messy, but he can likely tell I was trying not to try. “Good morning Doc” Brad sounds oddly chipper (he had a plan, after all, he was going to win). “Good morning Blue” I smiled back sleepily at him using the nickname I gave him after that paint fight on my first day. He rolls his eyes at it every time but he gave up on convincing me to stop, I think he figured out that his protest only makes me want to call him Blue more often. “How was your weeke-” Brad starts but I quickly hold a finger up close to his mouth till I feel his breath stop. “Shhh shh shh, quiet, coffee“ I respond groggily as I pick up my filled cup to my lips with a smile and pass him the one I had poured for him as he walked in. I get up on the counter beside him (with far less grace though, probably due to his height and strong arms and my well, complete lack of height and only moderately strong arms) and sit comfortably in silence for a moment drinking coffee. It was just a few minutes of peace before the others would show up and suddenly everything would be loud, important, extravagant, for a second we sit there doing absolutely nothing. I look up at him after a minute and smile enjoying the moment of comfort between us. I never really noticed that scar on his nose or the way his eyebrows are always half raised, I want to notice more about him sometime soon. If I keep looking at him I'll get lost in his subtlety, I ought to get to work ”My weekend was fine, looking forward to later for that appointment you booked, see ya Blue” I push off of the counter and manage somehow to land on my feet properly before walking to my office cup in hand. The first appointment today is David, time to zone out while thinking about how much his mustache looks like a caterpillar.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Brad watches you walk away, he can’t help himself, the way your hips naturally move when you walk and the confidence that each step holds draws his eyes every time. He runs through the interaction in his head as he sits there on the counter, he finds himself stuck on you. How could you so easily shut him up like that, no one shut him up, his stubbornness is a point of pride for him. Yet he doesn't mind it, in fact, the feeling of comfortable silence was something he had never expected to enjoy so much, for the first time in a long time, he did not need to be in control to be happy. You brought a form of peace to him he did not see coming. Brad pushes that thought away, as he stands up to walk to his office his inner monologue starts “ What is happening to your head, stop getting caught up, the only reason you feel this way is because of the mystery of it all. You have a plan, just wait till tonight, once you have a file on (y/n) then the feelings will surely fade”. Brad tries to convince himself and he does a good enough job to get through the rest of the workday without hovering around your office agin, as he had been doing for the past week. You have a power over him that you did not even realize, he wants it back, as least he thinks he does. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The appointment Brad made was pretty late in the day, in fact, I normally don’t take appointments after 5:00 but I was not about to pass this opportunity up. So as I wait for his arrival, decide to spend some time goofing off, playing games, I put on a hoodie I kept around the office for when Ian randomly decided that being freezing  _ helps his mind work better _ . I tend to sit in an odd way when no one is looking, I put one knee up to my chest and rest it on the chair while the other foot dangles on the floor, I pull my hood over my raised knee and rest my head on it. It is  _ super _ unprofessional and I kind of look like a goblin but that’s always been how I play video games since I was a kid, and it’s not like anyone can see me. I also have a bad habit of chewing on my bottom lip when I’m focusing on something, and I am deep in thought as I played dragon age, when Brad opens the door. He must have been standing there for a while before he finally raises his voice with a small laugh after I get mad at my character for getting hit, I look up at him with wide eyes. Brad is standing in the doorway leaning against the frame with his sleeves pushed up to his elbows and his arms crossed. The most noticeable thing though is his smirk as he looks at me up and down,  _ fuck _ . I was not paying attention to the time, the sun is partly down, his appointment started 5 minutes ago and I’m sitting here in my huge old hoodie with my gaming headset on (I try not to think about how he definitely caught me chewing my lip). 

“Oh don’t stop on my account, I’d hate to get in the way of your fun” Brad speaks with his overwhelming smugness, I can feel the heat go to my face as I get flustered. “no-no, sorry Blue, I lost track of time here, sit down,” I say as I take off my headset and close my laptop. I reach for the edge of my hoodie to take it off when I feel a warm hand on my shoulder. “Don’t, I’m keeping you after hours you should be comfortable, I won’t tell” he speaks in a soft way that I’m still not used to, god my face is even hotter, I must be as red as goddam blood ocean. Still, I kept it together with a smile “Alright, if you promise not to tell on me” I sit down on a chair I keep across from the couch in the office, people tend to like the classic therapist’s office feel. Brad sits down on the couch with that odd amount of grace he has, one of his long legs crosses over the other. I need to get out of my head, I’m here to help him not to look at him, I may finally get my chance to learn what made him this way. I pull out my notebook and pen that I had left on the small coffee table between us, it also had a bowl of caramels on it which Brad notices and popped one in his mouth with a sound of satisfaction. It takes everything in me not to roll my eyes, I can’t be snarky with him right now, I have to be professional. 

Let the game begin.

“So, Brad Bakshi, what brings you in today, just general conversation, or is there a specific issue you would like to discuss?” I say preparing my page for notes. He laughs a little bit “Brad not Blue? Look at you acting all grown up. Are you always this professional when I'm not around ?” he asks, keeping that sly look. ”Yes, I am actually, it is my job after all” I retort, he’s plotting something I can tell, it’s not going to work, I will win. “oh come on, loosen up, I know you like to be…” he pulls his knee up to his chest copying the way I sit when I’m alone ( not putting his sweater over his knee though, he could never stretch his sweet cashmere baby) “-  _ comfortable _ .” He finishes his sentence and places his head on his knee. The way he looks me dead in the eye, answers every question with a question, I can tell what he was doing, Brad wants to break me, for me to give in, get comfortable, so he can get something he’s looking for. I’m not letting him have it, whatever _ it  _ is. Calm, cool, collected I respond “now-now dear, I’m plenty comfortable, this is not about me it’s about you. Could this meeting have to do with the recent episode you had leaving the office when poppy was rude to you?” I see him wince a bit as his legs go back to normal, I won and he can tell. Brad can see I am not about to give in, he needs to throw me a bone if he wants to get anywhere, I’m ready for it. I watch him lean in smiling as he licks his lips (remember, don’t get distracted) his eyes lock on to mine “Are you familiar with, DuckTales?” Brad says with his signature smirk. I lean towards him copying his movements, I have Brad right where I want him “Let me guess, there is a character named Scrooge McDuck, the eccentric rich uncle, and you want to build a money bin just like he had and you have wanted to sense you where very small” his eyes widen in shock as he does not even try to speak, I continue “but what appeals to you about the prospect of a money bin is not the riches, but the idea that you could conceive another person to make something so ridiculous. You don’t really care about the money you care about owning people, you want to have control” I sit back in my chair, looking at his deeply confused face, Brad makes a small sound of confusion. “Most of that I found out myself but the spaces of your monologue came from my session with Racheal, you scared the hell out of her” 

He looks amazed, confused and a little impressed “If you have known that’s the way I think this whole time then why are you so, so kind to me?”. The million-dollar question has been asked, to be honest, I don’t entirely know myself. I can’t help but smile at his sentiment, some part of me just wants to hold him when he talks like this. “Well Blue, I don’t think it’s the whole story. I think you are far more complex than you want to seem. You want to own people yet when things are that there worst or you see people hurting, you always help. If your only goal was to simply own people, there are far better ways to do that then snark and seduction-” Brad interjected as he stood up sliding his hands up his legs with a smirk “You think I’m trying to seduce you ?” I stand up and raise my eyebrow silently saying ‘ _ dah’, _ for which he gives me a small chuckle for “fare, continue”. He moves closer to me as I talk, I have to try hard not to blush “My guess is that what you really mean by owning people is something far more emotional than you care to admit” I stop myself from saying the specifics, I don’t want to scare him off with all the thought I put into this moment. “I want to know you, Brad Bakshi, I want to know what made you, what makes you so wonderfully you”. My heart beats a thousand miles a minute as I try not to give up how incredibly scared I am that I have just done something very stupid.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

He has to make a choice, he has maybe two seconds before it gets weird, he can’t just look at you longingly forever, but his mind needs to process everything that just happened. You like him, knowing everything you know you still chose to want to know more. Brad is dumbfounded but he can’t stop smiling. He had realized that his folder was empty, he had nothing on you but your file on him was just as vacant. He did not have to doge around your walls, he just had to ask to be let in, how could the solution be so simple. The game you had just played was amazing, like watching an artist as work, you had him pinned, somehow you played him and he liked it. But Brad can tell he is scared, he knows that you could change this whole world he built for himself. He always denied that this feeling was there, their connection was a means to an end. Being an ass makes his life simple, no one wants to know more about a prick like him. Brad looks down at your eyes and suddenly the fear was gone. He thinks about the day they painted this room that you are in and your words set into his mind.  _ “If you are going to make a game, at least play it”.  _ Your genuine smile, your effortless kindness and your ability to get him to play his own games, that was it, he gives in.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I look at him after a few seconds expecting to have to apologize for going too far (I completely doubt I would be able to do that, in reality, I would probably just quit and run in the woods) when I feel his hand at my waist pulling me closer to him and his other hand finds my cheek. “Well my dear, I think you win” Brad speaks low and soft with that sly smirk, finally I give in and melt into his touch. I rope my arms around his neck, as he leans down I get on the tops of my feet to meet him halfway as our lips pressed together. Brad’s lips are soft, they seem to move effortlessly against my own and as the kiss deepens I can taste the caramel from earlier. The thought of it made me smile into the kiss which he gives Brad the idea to lift me up off the ground slightly so he can hear me laugh, it works quite well as I laugh lightly into the kiss. I knew I would be happy to hold him but had no idea it could be like this, I feel giddy as we kiss and I have never seen Brad smile like this before. I run my hands through his soft curls and he hums in response, god I’ve wanted to do that for so long now. Brad puts me down and his hands fall to my waist as we pull away for a moment to breathe, I just keep looking in his deep brown eyes. “well I’d say our session is over doc, I’d say I’m cured. May I take you out for dinner?” Brad smirks down at me, what a snarky idiot, I can’t help but smile. “I may just let you Blue, in a minute” I hold his cheek and pull him down for another round. 


	2. Round 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After last night's confession I'm sure that our date tonight will go well, but how well exactly? I'm honestly scared of Brad finding out more about me but at least I know that goes two ways. Brad's voice replays in my mind as I get ready to meet him, I will find out more about him, I will win.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this chapter is clearly fucking huge, oops. there is smut at the end of this one so far warning, I think it's super cute. also, I made the reader like sushi just to make my life easier so I hope you like it! please tell me what you think!

Thank god that my  _ “appointment” _ with Brad yesterday was a Friday because I don’t know how I could get through a workday knowing what I know now. Yesterday we stayed in my office for a while, making out and unable to stop smiling. (Just thinking about his perfect smile now, _ Goddamn _ ). It took a little while but I told him I needed to get home and managed to convince him to let me go, after all, it was dark outside and I never really like walking alone in the dark, not in my neighbourhood. Brad said he wanted to go out for dinner and we agreed on a time for us to meet up the next day, today. I can’t get him out of my head, I did not expect yesterday to go so amazingly well yet I still don’t know much about him. I hope it will go well, I am honestly still scared that the way in which I care will scare him off, it would not be the first time that my passion got the best of me in a relationship. I get a text on my phone from Brad telling me he will meet me at a park near the MQ office building, he had asked to pick me up from my house but I am not quite ready for him to see where I live, I’m not exactly proud of it. (that’s a conversation for later) I am not sure to wear, Brad refuses to tell me where we are going and just tells me to  _ “dress in whatever makes me feel comfortable and sexy” _ then he used a winky emoji I but I’m not entirely sure if he knows how not sexy emojis are (I tend to forget he is not a  _ tech-savvy young man _ ). I decide that to cover all my bases, I would put on a pair of black skinny jeans, a long-sleeved slightly flowy red button up and some big stompin’ old leather boots. It was nice to not have to wear a business casual blazer combo, actually showing off my personality as I put on some silver exteriorizes. I grab my bag and throw it over my shoulder, I guess one could say I am over-prepared, I always keep my meds, toilet trees, a jacket etc. on me when I go out just in case. I feel the crunch of gravel on my feet as I walk across the road and down the street putting my headphones in and humming to the background music that plays over my familiar walk. I reach the park across from the MQ offices and find a tall shaded willow tree with a very inviting patch of grass under it, seems like the perfect place to wait for Brad. I shoot him a text telling him where I am while sit down, resting my head on the tree brak I find myself getting lost in the music. I’m sure I can get away with closing my eyes for a bit, just to focus on the music. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

He had been driving for a while when he finally pulls up to the park where he had said you two would meet. Brad has not been able to stop thinking about you, your conversation yesterday plagued his mind but the lack of your lips against his is what stopped him from sleeping well last night. It was like someone cast a spell on him, all his calm cool collected nature slipped away at the idea he might get to hold you again, the worst part is he does not mind it. He had thought he would leave your office yesterday being able to put you in the rearview mirror but as his car pulls up to the park you are not behind him at all, you are right there, waiting for him. Brad gets out of his car, the sleek silver door to the convertible shutting softly behind him as he walks towards you, half trying not to be noticed. There was something nice about watching you enjoy things, you look right out of painting, draped against a widow tree with your eyes closed. He can’t help himself as he pulls out his phone and crouches down to get the perfect shot of you in this golden hour lighting. _ SNAP.  _ Well fuck, he had forgotten to turn off his ringer and his phone makes this aggressive noise that instantly snaps you out of your dazed state. You look up at him with your big eyes and smile “Are you stalking me Blue? If you’re not careful I may just start posing for the camera". You speak with this easy, the challenging nature that is just egging Brad on, it makes him melt. “Promise Doc?” He responds with a smirk as you got up off the ground and began to walk towards him, Brad can not help but look you up and down. “My services don’t come for free though,” You say as you finally get close enough for him to reach for your hand, pulling you closer as you laugh slightly. “Luckily dear, I’m a rich man”. One of his hands snakes to your waist and pulls you up into a kiss, slow and passionate. He takes his time enjoying each second of the needy kiss, biting on your lip slightly as he pulls away. Brad can feel the heat coming off of your face and revelled in the small sound he had earned from you when he bit (he kept the information for later). “Get in, I’m starving,” he says with a smile, letting go and opening your door for you to get in. He may not have won yesterday with all those emotions, but today he had the upper hand, after all, seduction was one of Brad’s special skills. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I can still feel my heartbeat in my chest as Brad drives us through the tree-lined streets with ease. He had taken a picture of me,  _ why _ ? It’s like when he thinks I’m not looking he’s this whole other person, I keep on catching him looking at me at stop signs and red lights. It’s as if he thinks next time he turns around I won’t be there, maybe I’m reading into this too much, it’s our first date, I’m just in my head. (it’s Brad’s damn fault for kissing me like that, I felt like my knee would give out when he bit me) His car smells like him, expensive new leather, campfires and, those soaps I’ve only ever had samples of because they cost the same amount as my food budget for a month, patchouli, that’s it,  _ fucking patchouli _ . I watch as his figures tap along with the music he had put on, I like watching the tendons move and seeing the way his tan skin folds when he moves the wheel. How is every little thing he does so captivating,  _ he is literally just driving, you idiot _ . 

“So Blue, will you finally tell me where we are going?” I say looking up at him with a smile, it takes everything in him not to tear his eyes from the road. “If you insist, we are going to the wasabi house,” Brad says with a smirk because he knows that I am wide-eyed, I have always wanted to go to the wasabi house, it's the fanciest sushi place in the state and he is just going to take me there. “Brad! Are you kidding?! I can’t le-” I start when he cuts me off “I know you love sushi, every time you get it delivered to the office you do this little ritual at your desk of setting it up like a real restaurant, even when it’s just from the grocery store.” he pulls up to a red light and looks over to me “It’s my money and I want to spend it on your dream dinner, is that so hard to believe'' Brad looks so genuine, (just like last night when he asked why I still like him) I can’t help myself but to reach over and put my hand on his knee. I can’t believe he remembered such a little thing, for someone who is such an ass all the time Brad sure was acting awfully kind. “Fine, but I pay next time” I smile looking into his deep reddish-brown eyes, as his smile turns to a smirk “Oh, there will be next time then'' He speaks before turning his attention back to the road. I laugh while rolling my eyes, I move my hand from his knee and hit him on the shoulder “If you do a good enough job there will be, you idiot”. That earns a low chuckle out of him as he reaches over with one hand and rubs my knee softly, I can’t help but get a little flustered as he pulls his it back. Thank god I can finally see the restaurant coming up, he pulls into the parking lot and pulls out his keys with a flourish. Before I have time to grab my stuff Brad is already opening my door for me, he reaches out his hand “Shall we ?”

_ _ _ _ _ _

As we sit here waiting for our waiter I begin to debate if I’ve ever genuinely been to a nicer place than this. The whole restaurant seems both overly modern and ancient, I wonder how many of these chairs are  _ actually _ for sitting on. I can tell Brad has been here before, and not just because the people here knew his name (but I am still surprised by it, who the fuck has a _ regular table _ , he acts like a 20’s mobster sometimes). He just seems so comfortable here, I can suddenly really feel it, this is not my playing field anymore, it's Brad’s. “So then tell me, what would you like?” he speaks up and looks my right in the eye, I break the contact to look down at the menu. My eyes must be quite wide because I can hear Brad laugh as I look on in shock and close the menu. How can raw fish cost this much? I look up at him still reeling from that price point “I’ll have water” I say plainly, gaining another, hearty laugh from Brad. “Here dear, if it hurts your brain too much” he takes away my menu “ I'll just order for me, and if you end up stealing half, no harm” he gives me this charming smirk that I find oddly comforting in this place, it’s familiar, safe. “Salmon nigiri is your favourite, right?” He looks at me expecting an answer but it’s all I can do to nod and agree. “Then I'll be sure to get extra” 

The waiter walks over and Brad passes her the menus, he strings together a series of words I can only assume to be our order but I am not quite paying attention to the meaning behind each sound. I just listen to the rise and fall of his voice, wondering if he had planned this dinner just yesterday or if this is something he has been planning since before I had even confessed last night. He is just so confusing, he swears on his life he is a bad man but still does this. Even if it is for his own gain, it's still very kind. As the water walks Brad’s attention comes back to me “So, How did you end up moving out here anyway?” he asks, raising his left eyebrow. “Well when I finished my degree I had a hard time finding jobs where I was, and ones that really used my training in the way I wanted it to. So when I saw that this job was available I jumped on it, I mean come on, video games _ and  _ helping people, it's a dream.” I say simply as the waiter comes by with some hot sake. Brad pours me some into one of those tiny ceramic cups “To be honest I did not expect you to be, well, a nerd” he says passing me the cup. I can’t help but laugh at his disbelief and say “What? You can’t imagine someone so incredibly attractive and charming, is also a huge dork”. I earn another laugh from him, I can't help but want to keep making him laugh just to get to experience it again. “I suppose you just keep subverting my expectations,” Brad says slyly with a little smirk as he sips his drink. He can tell that I melt a little bit every time he looks me in the eye and acts all cocky, this round he is in the lead. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

He watches you pick up the pillows of rice and fish and place them in your mouth, he pays attention to the way you close your eyes to experience the flavour. You captivate him, he needs to know you more, but at the same time, he just wants to watch you exist. “So then Blue, I know you joined MQ a few years after you finished business school but why did you even go to business school in the first place?” you ask as if it is a simple question. He thinks for a moment placing his hand on his chin, the idea of opening up is really scary but maybe just a little bit will be fine. “Well I come from an immigrant family, my mom is Polish and my dad is Indian. Being raised by first-generation Americans puts a lot of pressure on a kid to get a good job and make a lot of money” he says this lightly but you look at him with deep emotional weight. “That is a big responsibility to hold, they must be very proud of you though,” you say with warmth in your voice. Brad just smiles and nods, it’s better than taking the time to correct you, tell you they have not spoken in years, tell you about growing up with no money, tell you about being ripped into two halves of himself. He just smiles and nods. 

You two continue to talk for hours as you both eat and drink (Brad does not get too tipsy, as he does have to drive after this), it feels wonderful. As the last piece of sushi is eaten there is a moment of that comfortable silence you both find yourselves in with each other so often. It’s not an awkward lul or a search for what next, it’s just pure content with being where you are right now. “Thank you, Brad, this dinner was really special,” you say in your own way of making his heart melt “But don’t you dare show me that check or I may just cry,” you say with a small laugh as he passes his card to the waiter for it to be charged. “I’m glad I could give you a taste of the  _ Brad lifestyle _ . Now then, should I drive you home or are you still too scared to tell me where you live'' He raises one eyebrow to you agin looking to see how you may react to this sentiment. He is surprised to see a bit of shame rais to your face as you look down at the table rubbing the back of your neck, he wonders if your house that ugly that you would be that scared for him to see it. “Yeah, I think I’m ready for you to see where I live.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The drive his fun and conversation flows as I direct Brad to where I am staying, but the closer we get the more awkward I feel. We were just uptown with the richest folks I have ever seen, while I know he did not expect me to live there, Brad seems to get confused as I direct him to a very low-income high crime rate part of town. (I’ve never liked it when people call it “ _ the bad side of town _ ”, mostly because what they really mean is “ _ not the white part of town _ ”) Brad looks over at me as I tell him to take the next right ”Doc, are you sure we are going the right way?” he says. I can not help but sigh a bit “Yup, and you don’t even know the half of it yet dear, pull in to this parking lot” I say and he silently complies. We drive up to what has, for me, become a familiar sight. A dingy old motel fresh out of a movie that needed a set for a murder scene. A red neon light flickers, telling passers-by that  _ believe it or not _ , this shit hole is open, this shit whole where I have been living for a month. The wheels of Brad’s beautiful silver convertible crackle against the gravel parking lot as he turns off “(Y/N), I-I had no idea you lived in a-” he begins but I cut him off “Beautiful shining pile of garbage motel, believe me, Blue that was on purpose. I spent all my money getting here and then some, I have really bad credit from all my student loans and can’t seem to catch a break on my bills. So here I am.” I say with a rais and fall of my shoulders simply stating the facts of the horrible situation I was in. He looked down at me with big sweet eyes, but behind them is a sense of pity. “Don’t you start with me Brad, everyone sees me in a hard situation and pities me” I look up at him sounding more serious than I intend to “I have made my way out of hard situations before and I will do it again.  _ And _ if you know what good for you, you will not try to give me money or slip a little check under my door or something like that” (He wondered how you already knew that’s what he was planning) “it may be a shit hole but it is  _ mine _ , and _ I _ will get myself out of it”. I expect him to retort with some form of sass but before I have time to think I feel Brad’s hands on my cheeks pulling me into a slow, sweet kiss. Without a second thought kiss him back matching his pace as I run my fingers through his hair. Brad pulls away with a smirk on his face “Would you care to show me this shit whole you are so proud of ?”. I roll my eyes laughing lightly “Alright Blue, you can come in for one drink,” I say sternly but he kisses my forehead sweetly and I melt “... maybe two”.

I unlock the door to my room and push it open “Voila!” I say with a flourish stepping threw to let Brad see my dwelling. It is, believe it or not, not great. The walls are a yellowish-beige and the bed seems excessively small. Still, I have managed to make it at least a little nicer, I have my own fuzzy blanket, some knick-knacks on the dresser, I even have my record player on my bedside table. Brad walks in and looks around, he seems torn between wanting to help me and wanting to make fun of me but I don’t blame him for that. “It’s got … charm?” he says, deciding to try and say something nice. “There is a hole in the wall behind that painting and my bathroom sink stays green no matter what I do, if that is your definition of charm, I would hate to meet prince charming” I respond and he laughs effortlessly. “I suppose you are right,” Brad sits down on the one chair that I have in the room and I reach into a draw and pull out an old bottle of scotch, pouring two glasses. I go to sit down on the floor in front of him resting my back against the bed as I pass him a glass. ''So now you know my greatest shame, I assume everyone in the office will know within the hour,'' I joke looking down into my glass. “Doc, I-I, am sorry you have to live in this sad place, it is made infinitely better by you being in it” I've genuinely never heard him say something so kind, to anyone. “You know if I had it my way dear, I would pick you up like a princess and drive you to my castle,” Brad says with that trademark smirk on his face. “And if you are lucky, one day I’ll let you” I play right back clicking out cups together and taking a sip. “You underestimate me (Y/N)'' Brad speaks in a lower voice than usual before tipping back the cup and downing the whole thing. I know what he is doing but at the same time, I want to give in to him, just this once. I sip my drink again as I roll my legs around me, getting on my knees “Then prove me wrong Blue”. 

I feel his hand on my chin dragging my head up, bringing me to a position where I am on my knees but sitting up with my back straight. He bends down from above me with a look I have been daydreaming about, that smug seductive smirk. Brad presses his lips to mine for a deep passionate kiss, he bites softly on my lip causing me to open my mouth in a gasp. He uses this as an opportunity to slip into my mouth, I can taste the scotch on his tongue, it’s not enough I want more. Brad’s mouth begins to move down across my jaw before pulling away slightly “you look good on your knees little one, I may just keep you there”. He speaks with this dark lustful tone that I can feel over my whole body, I put my hands together and profusely add a bit of extra sexy sweetness to my voice “I wouldn’t mind if it pleases you”. I swear I can hear him growl under his breath before he commands “Bed, now”.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ (TW graphic sex, the reader has feminine genitalia because it is too hard to right smut without knowing the parts, but it will still not be referred to ina gendered manner)

Brad looks you over as you get on to the bed, he walks over to the record play and puts on something absentmindedly, something smooth, loud enough to quiet the parts of you both that would question the moment but not loud enough that he would not able to hear each little sound you are about to make. He looks back to you patiently waiting for him on your knees in the middle of the bed. It’s hard for Brad not to lose control and rip off your clothes, he wants to make this last, he wants to know every inch of you. He walks right up to the edge of the bed and grabs you by the waist pulling you up to his chest he leans down to your ear and in a far softer and sweeter voice than you expected to hear he speaks “If you ever start to feel uncomfortable with something, tell me, ok? I want to make sure this feels right for you”. He never ceases to amaze you with his hidden complexities “I will, I promise Blue. I want this, I want you” you saying you hand down his back. He starts kissing gently across your jawline, getting more passionate, as he reaches your neck and you can not help but let out a loose moan. Your weakness has always been how sensitive your neck was, a gentle kiss would make you melt let alone a bite in the right spot. Brad takes notice of this and smirks, you can tell even though his face stays in the crook of your neck “Well well well, it seems I’ve found a new toy to play with” he speaks in the low rough tone again. You feel his tongue glide up your neck before biting down on your pulse point with ease, the moan that comes out of your mouth only makes him continue this treatment over and over, wanting to hear your sounds of pleasure while barely touching you. Brad starts to unbutton your shirt so he can work his way farther down to your collarbone and then back up to your pulse point. He somehow manages to take off everything you had on top while you are distracted by the hickey he is leaving on the upper part of your neck. He pulls back looking at your bare body taking in every inch of you to commit it to memory. “Please get that sweater off, I have been wanting to see what's underneath for longer than I care to say” you manage to get out despite your hot and bothered state. He chuckles softly “If you want it off me so bad then take it off me”

You grab the bottom of his sweater and quickly pull it off, getting permission to have him bare makes you only want it done faster. You start unbuttoning the shirt he was wearing underneath the sweater and place kisses on every piece of new skin you see, trailing them down to his belt with the last button, before pushing off the shirt from Brad’s shoulders. You would be turned on by whatever is under his shirt, but the fact he has such defined mussels only added to the sensation. He’s not a built guy, (some would call him scrawny) but he clearly is a runner or a swimmer because you can make out the lines around his body in between where his muscles pop out. Without even realizing it you are biting on your bottom lip and your hand reaches out tracing the lines of his chest down to his abbs and across the V leading farther down to his belt. You feel him shudder slightly at your touch before you are suddenly pinned down underneath him, looking up at Brad with your arms above your head you see a fire in his eyes. “I plan to do unspeakable things to you, little one” Brad speaks in a low growl right in your ear. “You promise ?” you speak with a smirk, challenging him, you want to see just what you can make him do. He pulls off his belt kneeling on top of you with those eyes that make it seem like he may just eat you “oh, I promise”. 

You feel the cold leather of his belt on your wrists at it tightens it to the bedpost, Brad has you bound, laid out in front of him like a meal. He kisses your lips but then begins to make his way down your neck and to your chest, taking his time on a nipple before going further down. Brad looks at you with a devilish smile as he pulls off your pants and underwear in one fell swoop. Your instinct is to cover up but he does not let you as he holds your legs apart and drinks in the sight of you. Feeling your heat hit the cool air you hiss slightly drawing Brad’s eye to it “Look at you, already so wet for me and I have not even touched you below the waist, how bad you are” he speaks and leans back over you plating a kiss on your lips and biting down are you lip at the same time as one of his fingers enter you. You let out a gasp followed by a high moan as Brad moves his finger in and out of you. “You say you’ve thought about me before, I wonder if it was in this very bed, late at night, wanting desperately for me to fuck you” Brad speaks in your ear and you feel yourself melt into the sheets, his smooth dirty talk making it hard to think. “ _ Yes, god yes _ ” your agreement is met with the reward with another finger inside of you, you try to move your hips to get more friction but his other hand plants your hips against the mattress. “Is this how you imagine it, me taking control of you, dragging out every moan” Brad speaks before his mouth finds a home on your clit. “Oh fuck! No, this, this is better” you get out as your eyes roll back slightly when he sucks on your clit before pulling away to speak in a low growl “ _ Damn right it is, _ don’t forget that”. Brad goes back to working on your heat moving his fingers out slowly and pushing back in hard and fast. You feel a knot building your stomach as he sucks and bites gently on your clit, his other hand goes to your ass gripping tight to bring you closer to his greedy mouth. He can tell by the way your walls tights around his finger and the intense moans that are escaping your mouth that you are about to cum, he brings you right to the edge and pulls his body away. Brad enjoys watching you whine at the loss of him and squirm around, you feel the knot loosen but your body still craves him “Oh I’m sorry little one did you want to cum for me, tell me” he places his figures against your chin to look him in the eyes “tell me how you want to cum”. You practically salivate at the sound of his command, every time you think he can't get hotter he says something to make you wild. “ _Please Brad_ I want you inside of me so desperately, I want to feel you drive into me and call me yours. I want to cum screaming your name, _please fuck me”_ you speak looking him in the eyes, pulling out a voice you know will make him go wild. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I feel Brad moving above you as he takes off the belt from your wrist, My hands fly to the side of his face pulling him in for a deep passionate kiss. He pulls away but presses our foreheads together “Condoms ?” he asks softly “top drawer to the right '' I say pointing to the nightstand. He quickly plants a kiss on my forehead before reaching over and grabbing a condom, I come up with a little plan. I move on to my hands and knees and as Brad turns around with a condom in his hand I grab the wrapper in my teeth with a smirk. “Now now little one, what are you doing” he speaks looking down at me. I grab on to his waistband and pull down both his pants and boxers in one movement and look to the center of his hips with a smirk. I grab one corner of the condom wrapper and use my teeth to open it while looking him in the eyes from my knees. He may think he is in control but really all it takes is one little move from me and I know he’s putty in my hands. I line the condom up with my hands but use my mouth to roll it over his cock, all the way to the base and suck slowly on my way back up. I can hear Brad groan at the feeling of my mouth leaving him, he looks a little shocked as I just smirk back at him. “Oh you’re going to get it now,” Brad says in that domineering voice before pushing me back on the bed. 

I feel him shift on top of me and line himself up to my entrance and slowly push in, he slowly kisses me to help distract me from the pain as I adjust to his size inside of me. Brad’s kiss is sweeter than the recent ones, I can feel him taking this time to make sure I am ok. I move my hips against him to show that I am ready for more, in response, I get a small groan from him and a smirk into the kiss. Brad begins to move out slowly then pushes back in hard and fast inside of me, I break the kiss due to my head flying back in a moan. He takes the operatory and begins nipping at my neck slowly, I feel amazing as a wave of pleasure moves across me in a shudder “ _God yes, Brad more, harder_!” I realize in desperation. He gets that devilish look on his face and slowly down barely moving “What was that little one?” Brad practically whispers in my ear. “ _Please, stop your t-t-teasing, I’m going crazy with how much I want you, I’m yours p-p-please Brad take me_ “ I look him in the eyes having to try far to hold back my moans as I beg for him. He has this look of satisfaction on his face as his hands move down to my hips and lift me up from my ass lifting me up as my legs wrap around him. Brad hits deep inside of me moving his dick in and out fast and hard satisfying every inch of me as I scream out his name. I run my hands through his soft smooth curls, then he hits somewhere inside of me in such a way that I can not help but pull his hair as my head is thrown back. Brad growls and starts hitting harder at that exact same spot, it seems like he enjoys that bit of pain. “Fuck yes Brad right there” I get out as my fingernails scrape down his back slowly. That earns a full moan as his eyes roll back slightly, he clearly enjoys feeling and hearing me enjoy the pleasure he gives. Brad keeps pounding into me and I can feel the knot in my stomach building again as my back arches “Hold it now, you will cum will I tell you to” he commands and pins down my hands above my head. I let loose any number of profanity as I do everything in my power not to cum from the insane amount of pleasure he gives me. I feel him start to get sloppy, his movements start to lose that rhythm but are harder than before. Brad leans down to my ear and plants a kiss on the hickey he has been working on before speaking in a low sedative tone, “Now, cum for me baby”. My eyes roll back, tow curl and back arches as I finally let go and orgasm with him ridding it out of me, as I start to come down I hear Brad moan out when he cums as well. He breathes heavily with those last few pumps before pulling out and collapsing beside me on the bed. I am trying to get my bearings back by breathing slowly as he takes off the condom and throws it in the trash can beside my bed. 

I push my hair out of my face and look over to Brad beside me with a smile, he smiles back, in that sweet happy way. My heat still feels like it’s going to jump out of my chest when he smiles, despite everything that just happened. I reach over and gently kiss his cheek. “That was amazing Blue,” I say resting a hand on his face “You were amazing (y/n). I’m glad you liked it” he kisses my forehead “I am also glad I know how to get you to follow orders now,” Brad says trying to hold on to that slyness as I laugh. “if you think my sexual preferences will make me any less of a hard ass independent person you are sadly mistaken, dear,”. He looks down at me with his big brown eyes just looking for something to say so I say something for him ”Brad, will you stay the night?”. His hand rolls across my back softly as he pulls me close so I can rest my head on his chest “I would love to, as long as when I wake up you are there, I don’t mind where I sleep”. I can feel the vibration of his voice through his chest and the sound of his heartbeat, it lolls me into sleep as I feel the blanket fall over me and the arm of Brad Bakshi wrap around me. 


	3. Round 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Waking up the morning after can be scary but I don't feel afraid this time. We manage to get out of bed and end up at Brads place, where I finally get to learn about Brad's family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I reference the song Valintine by Atlas, a very cool non-binary rapper here is the song. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cyl0iCNadTs .

The unfamiliar smell of cigarette smoke, vanilla and dust fill the old motel room as Brad slowly starts to stir in the late morning, then the comforting scent of your shampoo sets in as he remembers where he is. The warm light of morning hits his face as he opens his eyes slightly just to make sure the presser against his chest was still from you, he is happy to find your head next to his on the pillow. In the night you had wrapped yourself around him, an arm over his chest and on leg tucked up over his hips (it makes it very hard for Brad to not laugh when he realizes you are sleeping like a koala on a tree branch). He does not mind the feeling of you against him, warmed by the early morning sun, that he does not mind at all, he wraps his arms around you and pulls you in just a little closer, being careful not to wake you. Feeling the rise and fall of your chest against his own he can’t help but get caught up in thought. He knew things would change when he gave in to you in the office but he had no idea he would like it this much, it scares him. He likes the idea of doing nothing all day, he likes the idea of giving you anything you need, he likes the idea of throwing money at your just to see you smile, that is terrifying. Would he just throw away everything he has worked so hard for just to see this through? Maybe. And maybe that’s ok. He tries to cast aside those complex thoughts, after all, you only have gone on one date, but still, as he looks around the room he gets the urge to shove money deep into your pockets to see you live somewhere that could match your perfection. 

Brad tucks a piece of hair behind your ear and plants a soft kiss on your forehead, he feels your arm around him tighten as you squeeze him, shoving your face down into the crook of his neck. Realizing you are starting to come out of sleep he wants to both have you be at peace forever and also have you awake to hear your voice. Brad decides on the second one as he starts to plant kisses down your jaw to your ear and speak in his low groggy morning voice “Good morning sunshine” and then continues to work down your neck. You make a soft groan at the feeling of his lips but can’t stop the smile over your face when you hear his voice. Your eyes flick open as Brad moves back over you and kisses you slowly with a sweetness to it, you both start smiling into the kiss and pull away leaving your foreheads together. “Morning Blue, sleep well ?” you speak softly, every sound feels loader in the early hours “Not as well as you, my dear, warped around me all night”. Brad speaks this his trademarked smirk causing a blush to rise to your face “Oh, um sorry” you say a little embarrassed. “Don’t say sorry, trust me, I like you being that close'' he says before planting a quick kiss on your lips. You come to the drastic realization you probably don’t smell the best after not showing last night and start to pull away from the embrace. “I should g- “ you are cut off by Brad’s arms pulling you back down to his chest. “No, mine” he speaks low, his vocal cords still warming up for the day. You can’t help but let out a gentle laugh “yes, all yours, and I will be yours when I get out of the shower too” you kiss his cheek and get out of the bed hearing him groan as he moves to get out of the bed. “and no you can’t get in the shower with me, it's too small to fit us both” You speak up as you walk into the bathroom and hear him fall back on the bed. “Gah! Fine, but don’t be surprised if I have a desperate need to hold you in public later” Brad says with a sigh, you roll your eyes as you close the bathroom door. 

  
  


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I step out of the shower and wrap a towel around my body as I walk over to the sink and grab my toothbrush. I spot into the sink and look up in the mirror to make sure I don’t have any toothpaste on my face when I see it. “Braaaaad!” I yell out with frustration in my voice and flinging open the door, “look at what you did!” he squints to see where my finger points to on my upper neck. A huge purple mark with little red parts poking thru is clearly standing out against my skin from last night, I have never seen such an expertly crafted hickey. Brad lets out a laugh “Well you did not seem to mind the hickey while I was giving it to you last night” he speaks with a smug look on his face as he gets up from the bed to walk over to me. “Well of course not … but that's not the point you dip shit” I say trying not to get caught up in his eyes as I hit his shoulder. Brad moves his body as if I actually punched him mouthing a pained sound, I can’t help but laugh a bit “I just don’t have any concealer to cover it up when I go out” After I top speaking his hand reaches up to my chin and he tilts back my neck to look at his handy work a little closer “But why would you want to cover up my art, the mark that tells them your mine” He purposely uses his low dominant voice to try and melt me as he kisses the dark purple spot. It takes everything not to let him hear me enjoy that feeling but I need to make a point so I raise his face looking him in the eye “Tell you what, you fill out the proper paperwork with HR for workplace relationships, then maybe if you are lucky, I won’t hide the hickeys, that I can only assume I will continue to get” I speak smoothly as I swear he may take me then and there with that look in his eye as I pull away. “Deal” Brad speaks moving in to pick me up but I stop him “No, no, no. Go take a shower and I’ll go get breakfast, I don’t have a kitchen so I have to bye it”. He looks at me trying not to roll his eyes “Or I can take a shower and then drive you to my place where we can make breakfast together”. I am surprised, to say the least, Brad wants me to come over to where he lives, I thought it would be a lot more difficult to get into that part of his life. “Sounds good to me, but we have to stop at the store on the way,” I say and kiss his cheek “So shower up, you still smell of sex”. He laughs and moves to the bathroom getting the last word in before closing the door “It's a smell you will become familiar with him sure”.

I hear the shower turn on and a sigh of relief, the things Brad does to my head may just drive me crazy, the worst part is he knows it. Luckily I know I can do the same thing to him, it's just a constant power play that I can not deny I am enjoying. I get dressed for the day and decide on some blue jean shorts, an oversized old black band shirt and in undone white and grey pinstriped button-up. I mess around with my hair until I’m happy with it, before resigning to the fact that I am just going to be unhappy with it today. A pile starts to form on my bed as I grab some things to put into an overnight bag, I just have a feeling I won’t be home tonight. I hear the water turn off in the bathroom so I decided to Grab all of brads clothes that are thrown about the room and put them on the bed for him, though I take the liberty of putting a pair of my own socks out for him (the worst feeling is putting on dirty clothes so as much as he won’t fit in my clothes I can at least do this for him). I know where I live is shit, trust me, but I still take the time to clean up in the morning, make my bed, that kind of thing, so at least then I can take some pride in it. I wonder where Brad lives. If I had to guess it would be a big dark castle on a mountain or some haunted mansion in the woods, is it odd to picture my lover as a scooby-doo villain? 

The door opens from the bathroom and Brad steps out into the main room with a towel around his waist, I can not help but look him up and down. For so long I have wondered what was underneath his soft sweaters and to now being able to see each deified part of his chest, stomach and arms, it makes me feel like I am going to melt. “If you want I can get professional photos done, you can hang them on your wall when you just want to stare at my body” Brad smirks noticing the way I am looking at him. “Oh shut up” is all I can manage to say as I pull him down to kiss his lips gently. I run my hand down his back and feel some rained lines, we separate and I look to see three red lines on either side of his back. “Oh no hun, I did not even realize my fingernails were that sharp!” I speak with concern as I run my fingers across them. I see his demeanour soften as I show concern for him “Don’t worry about it dear, after all a bit of pain adds to the moment. I don’t mind being a scratching post if it makes my kitten satisfied” he speaks switching tone back to the low domineering side. Fuck, he just so instantly learned how to make me want to drop everything and have him, it’s so perfectly unbearable. I feel the red in my cheeks heat up and I apply a gentle kiss to his shoulder blade. “For now let’s just go make some food, I’m starving”. He nods in agreement and, regretfully, puts on some clothes

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Unsurprisingly the place Brad drives to is in the high-end side of town, but surprisingly it’s not some old gothic mansion, in fact, he pulls into the underground parking of a brick-walled high-end condo complex. I don’t know why that is so surprising, I mean logically a rich young adult would live in a fancy condo but I suppose the villain in him makes him seem like a special case. Brad turns off the car as he pulls in to what I can only assume to be his assigned parking spot, “So here we are, well almost” Brad smiles to me but I can see he is scared, this must be a huge deal for him. As we walk to the elevator I realize that I’m really glad I brought him to the motel last night, he needed me to make the first sacrifice to make sure he would feel safe in letting me in. I notice the buttons for all the floors but the one that says penthouse has a keyhole instead and that is the one Brad gose to use. “Well, well, well, mister fancy lives in the penthouse then? High and mighty, looking down at it all, it’s not the medieval castle with a moat and drawbridge I had expected but it does make some sense” I say jokingly, earning a chuckle from him. “I may get there one day but for now I will settle for this'' Brad speaks as the elevator begins to move. “I remember Poopy mentioning how you did not even give your real address to MQ for them to send mail to, you get it sent to some PO box in Kentucky. I am glad I get to know this little secret” I reach over and hold his hand, but he intertwines our fingers. “If you tell anyone do not be surprised if I move and am never heard from again. The last thing I want is a sad Christmas card from David” Brad states in a way that makes me break out laughing. The elevator door opens as I manage to stop laughing but I am caught off guard by the sight of his home. I expedited a monotone blue bachelor pad when he said condo but Brad’s penthouse has real style to it. I walk out into the very open concept sitting room with a big modern couch facing the tv mounted on the exposed brick wall, leading into a kitchen with grey marble countertops and a huge island with a breakfast bar! Just beside it is a dining table near the most stunning part, a two-story wall of windows looking out onto the cityscape beyond them. Speaking of two storeys, a spiralling metal staircase against the back wall goes up to a great floor walkway with a railing made of the same metal as the stairs. Attached are doors to what I can only assume to be the bedroom and some other rooms. This place is huge and modern but has class rustic elements, oddly enough it is comfortable too. There are blankets and throw pillows, even some art on the walls, that said there are no pictures of Brad or anyone he cares for. His house both feels very homey and very distant as if torn from a magazine. Despite that, I can’t deny it’s beautiful and I just want to run through every inch of it, it’s probably the cabin fever from the motel. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

He watches you run into his living room and fall backwards onto his couch in a moment of pure freedom, he can't tear his eyes away as a smile rises to his face. Brad has lived in this place alone for a few years now, he practically never brought anyone over and if he did, well let’s just say it’s unlikely they would meet again. He has certainly not had anyone over that really knows him, no one from work either, but there you are laughing as you run over to the kitchen looking at his expensive cooktop, and surprising himself Brad realizes he likes this feeling. “I’m glad you like it here, my little abode, if you will,” he says as he pulls off his shoes to be reminded of your socks on his feet (Brad never fails to be amazed that you can think of all these small kind things to do for people). “Like it?! Are you kidding Blue? Your place is amazing, you have a fucking spiral staircase!” you speak throwing your hands up in the air with exasperation. Brad cracks another laugh and walks over to you slowly “I should like to see you walking down that staircase in something fit for a ball” he places his hand on your cheek for you to lean in to. “If you were to be so lucky,” you say and give him a peck on the lips. “Now go get changed into some non-work clothes and I'll make food”. You pull away and hear Brad sigh softly, “alright alright, I'll be right back” he resigns and then runs up the stairs and into the second door. 

Brad opens his bedroom door fully dressed and with a cleanly shaved face, he has on some black fitted jeans and a very nice pastel blue hoodie (he also left of your socks, there was something comforting about them). He can hear you whisking something downstairs and leans over the railing to watch you from above, he could tell you were mixing some kind of batter but he was not really paying attention to that. Brad was really looking at the way you rolled up your sleeves and the way your arms moved, he just takes a moment to appreciate how strong you are, in your own unique ways. He takes notice of the fact that you have found his black apron but were unable to tie it so the strings, so they are loose. Brad comes down the stairs and before you can turn to see him he comes up behind you and kisses the top of your head as he grabs the strings to tie a bow. “Happy to see you made yourself at home, but I have to tie this if only to show off your lovely waist,” he says with a smile and tugs on the string lightly to make sure it is all good. You let out a gentle laugh that he is always happy to hear “If you say so Blue”. 

You finish up mixing the batter and set it aside and you begin looking for a frying pan, just opening and closing a bunch of drawers, Brad could not help but laugh a bit at your stubbornness.  _ Of course, _ you don’t know where anything is but,  _ of course, _ you would not ask him to help you. He opens up a cabinet above your head and pulls down a large frying pan “I don’t suppose this is what you were looking for Doc'' He smiles slyly as you huff in a defeated manner. “What are you making anyway?” Brad asks and sits on the kitchen island. “I am making crepes, a little fancy I know but they are surprisingly easy and very fun to make,” You say while turning on the stovetop to heat up the pan, adding some butter. Brad watches as you pour the batter on the pan and rolls it around till there is a thin sheet across the bottom, you wait till the batter all appears solid and then use an offset spatula to flip it, revealing a perfect golden colour. Brad’s eyes widen “Wow, you are really good at that '' his hand rests on his chin as he looks at you with intent. “Well I have to know how to pull out some tricks for special occasions'' you speak with a laugh as you pour out the next crepes batter. His eyes trace over you, memorizing the way you look in this exact moment, no one had made him a meal in a very long time. Brad knows how to cook, especially polish food, but normally he just had something fast and then got out of the house. Food is not really something he enjoys anymore, not since he lost contact with his family, but now as he watching you cook, it feels a bit like being a kid again. Brad is reminded of making pierogies with his Babcia and for a second wonder if he could make those with you sometime. “Can you get me the maple syrup and cinnamon sugar Blue?” you speak up pulling him out of his mind. He nods and slips off the countertop before kissing your cheek gently “Whatever you need  _ kochanie” _ Brad says that last word in polish with a smile, you are his  _ kochanie _ , his sweetheart. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Brad sits down across from me and passes me one of the mimosas he has just made (because  _ of course, _ he has campaign just lying around). I prepare my crepe, running some butter along the inside and sprinkling it with cinnamon before polling it up and pouring syrup over it. I notice that he is watching me and copies my exact methods and I can’t help but laugh a little, there are moments when he looks very lost, like a deer in headlights, I find it very endearing. “ So I heard you speak polish a little bit in the office but just so sass people, and then just now, do you speak it futilely?” I ask trying to get a read on his face as I take my first bite. “Tak, Jestem z Polski. Moja rodzina wychowała mnie do mówienia językiem” Brad speaks with such easy I can’t help but smile at the way it rolls off the tongue “And that means ?” I laugh slightly as I speak and he gives in with a smile. “Yes, I am from Poland, my family raised me to speak polish, in fact in the house that is all we spoke till I started going to school here in America and realized that would not work out,” He says as he too begins to eat. “so your father and mother met in Poland then?” I asked, raising an eyebrow, I know it’s risky to push him to tell me more about his life outside of this one he has built but I want to know more about him. “They met in America and got married very quickly, my mother could not get her citizenship yet so my father moved with her back to Poland, I can only imagine how odd it would feel to go from Indian to America to Poland, so many different dialects to learn. My mother became pregnant with me and I was born there, they soon moved to America as that was what my father always wanted and settled down here to form a family” Brad speaks smoothly but I can tell he’s choosing to leave out certain aspects of his story. “Interesting you did not learn an Indian dialect at all, you must have been very close with your mother’s side of the family” I take a sip, trying to ease him into the idea of opening up but I see him look down at his food. “You could say that, but really he left when I was still young. Communication is hard when you both can barely speak the same language” Brad speaks in a far more quiet voice than usual, he is usually speaking with such confidence but he seems so lost at this moment. I reach over the table and put my hand on his “I think your polish is beautiful, as is your Indian heritage. You are an entirely unique melting pot of many different worlds and that is what makes you great Brad” I state this fact and see his eyes move up to mine.

He has many complexities, as much as I am happy to be able to see them, I don’t want to force him out of his comfort zone all at once. “You are excruciatingly kind  _ kochanie. Jeśli nie jestem ostrożny, mógłbym się w Tobie zakochać. _ ” Brad speaks with a soft smile and kisses the top of your hand. “Why thank you, I think. What does that mean?” I ask with a raised eyebrow and Brad just smirks “You’ll have to learn to speak polish,” he says back to his usual sly self as he takes another bite. “You would be surprised what I can do Brad Bakshi '' there is a purposeful suggestive tone to my words as I look him directly in his warm-toned brown eyes. “We have yet to see about that  _ Kotek '' Brad _ speaks as he stands up to move closer to me. His hands rest on my chin and he tilts it up to look at him. “May I know what that one means?” I ask and bite my lip softly, knowing just how to get my way. He bends down close to my ear “ _ Kitten _ ” he purrs softly making me melt. I pull his lips to mine, unable to stop myself from wanting to hold him but Brad deepens the kiss and pulls me off my chair. I wrap my arms around his neck and next thing I know he has lifted me up and my legs instantly wrap around him. I end up laughing lightly into the kiss, surprised by his act I can feel him smile as well “I told you I wanted to carry you like royalty out of that motel, but I will have to settle for my couch”. Brad does just that, we plop down on the couch and I stay on his lap enjoying the feeling of being so close to him. We end up back in that state of partly kissing, partly laughing, partly snuggling for a long time, I completely lose track of time when it comes to Brad but suddenly I have an idea and pull away from him. I get an overly excited look on my face, I can tell by the way he smiles at me “What are you thinking of now?” he asks with sarcasm in his tone. “Stay here” I command before kissing his cheek and jumping off of him.

I run over to his sound system and plug in my phone, putting on a song before walking back over to Brad and holding out my hand. “Dance with me Blue, I’ve always wanted to stupidly slow dance for no reason,” I say with a slightly goofy grin on my face. Brad lightly bites his tongue to stop himself from laughing as he takes my hand. “Of course you would want to dance, so predictably unpredictable  _ kochanie _ ” he rolls his eyes as I pull him up off the couch. I drag Brad to the middle of the floor and place my arm around his neck as his hands find their place on my waist. Valentine by Atlas starts to play it’s smooth beat. 

“ _ This is a "thank you for everything", _

_ A semicolon hovering where something once was menacing, _

_ A "soon to be continued" that exists after the ending screen, _

_ The only song I know that I would ever even wish to sing. _

_ When heat is blistering, you're the ice that's glistening inside my cup of tea,  _

_ which is also you-Interesting. _

_ Throughout all the seasons in this transition of winter-spring _

_ You've been here beside me with the sweet nothings you're whispering.” _

I look up at Brad smiling as we start to move back and forth like a couple of seventh graders at a school dance. He is keeping his distance a bit which only adds to the awkwardness that is making me giggle. “If I didn't know better I would say that Brad Bakshi is nervous, maybe even scared” I tease him and I swear he actually blushes. “It’s not that I don’t know how to dance, I just rarely dance like this'' he tries to shrug it off and I can't help but smile at this oddly meek Brad. Seduction and everything that came with it he seems comfortable in but any form of tenderness he is scared by. “Don’t worry my dear just follow my lead, you do not have to think about anything just hold me and move to the music” I reassure him and he nods. Brad pulls me in a little tighter, I rest my head on his chest and move one of my hands to grab his hand so now one of each of our arms is outstretched, it's almost like we are doing some half-assed tango, I like it. 

“ _ You're a lovable angelic piece of perfect,  _

_ and anything I do for you is worth it times a million and a half _

_ We can sit and be resilient and laugh _

_ In between the subtle compliments and billions of half-kiss _

_ half-hug half-cuddle moments we share _

_ And I know it's unfair that we can only spend a few days here _

_ But I'm yours and I think that it's clear, so forget about goodbye,  _

_ this is "see you soon", my dear _

_ 'Cause I love you and I'd like to spend forever  _

_ in the subtle warmth inside your arms like fireplace's embers _

_ I will try my best to keep you by my side 'til the weather _

_ Turns apocalyptic and we end up drifting to the nether _

_ But we'd be still be wearing sweaters when we got there _

_ Because we're both too caught up all in our cuteness to care about hot air _

_ And even if it burnt me alive, I'd have my crosshairs set up on your heart,  _

_ making art 'cause why stop there?” _

I move my head from Brad’s chest to smile up at him, I am glad to see he looks comfortable and happy. He kisses my forehead before stepping back and twirling me around then pulling me back to him closer. I let out a laugh and peck him on the lips, it’s so lovely to dance with him but part of what makes it better is how casual it feels. He’s just in jeans and hoodie and I’m just in some old t-shirt in the early afternoon, as we dance, there is no pressure to it. I get on my tippy toes and rais Brad's hand that is in mine, He catches the hint and ducks with a chuckle so I can spin him around. we both laugh as we continue to move “Imagine the look on everyone’s faces at work when I tell them you are really a softie Blue” I say with a smirk. “Don’t you dare tell them about this Doc, I have worked hard to make them all very scared of me. If they knew how I am around you, all of that would be for nothing” he says and rests his chin on my head as we move together. “Besides I’m not really a softie per se, you just have a way of softening me, and infuriatingly enough, you make me like it” Brad admits to me. He means it, he really means it I am kind of amazed that he would say it. I press myself closer to him “I won’t tell anyone, I don't want you to stop being so soft around me” he chucks softly above me. 

“ _ I keep on creating for you until my final days _

_ Dancing in the living room, and smooching while the vinyl plays _

_ I've been losing track of the romantic shit I'm tryna say but basically, _

_ I love you _

_ And that's kinda gay _

_ Imma stay by your side when I can _

_ , and keep your grip on my hand _

_ Because we can both hear the compliments coming in from these pals of mine... _

_ I've been wondering if you would be my valentine…” _

  
The beat comes to an end, the song stops and I don’t let go of him, he does not let go of me. After a moment Brad lifts his head off of mine and raises his hand from my waist to my cheek, he pulls my face from his chest to look him in the eye. “ _ Sprawiasz, że chcę być lepszym człowiekiem,”  _ he speaks in this low soft voice and as much as I do not know what the words mean I can feel they are being said with sweets and care, followed that genuine smile. I reach up and pull Brad down into a deep, passionate kiss, I can feel his arms reach around my waist as he pulls me up to him. The rest of the world just melts away, for a moment it’s just me and Brad, together in every way and I love it. “Want to sit on the couch and half-pay attention to some old cartoons while we half snuggle, half make out?” He asks after pulling away from my lips. “It’s like you read my mind Blue, that sounds perfect” I speak with a smile on my face as we go back to the couch. I am certain now, I am not going home tonight. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry this one took so much longer, it is also huge, I hope you like it.

**Author's Note:**

> So what do you think? I may become emotionally attached to this story so tell me if you want more.


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